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What do you usually buy off of Amazon.com? Maybe it’s books, electronics, or maybe even different articles of clothing. But, did you ever think it would be legal to purchase animal snares, traps and preserved carcasses off of the website? It’s a very grueling topic, but up until July of this year, Amazon India allowed hundreds of controversial hunting tools and preserved animal carcasses to be sold on the website. That was until Wildlife SOS, a nonprofit rescue and conservation charity stepped in. It all began when workers of the charity rescued a several-month-old Sloth Bear they named “Rose” in the Indian wilderness. Rose had been severely maimed by a snare that had completely severed her leg. Luckily, Rose has since been saved, but will unfortunately never be able to be released into the wild again because of her handicap.

The sad truth is that Rose’s story is not uncommon. And ever year, thousands of animals are hunted and killed for “trophies” such as fur and teeth/bones.

After the incident, Wildlife SOS began to circulate a petition which brought attention to the hundreds of controversial products on Amazon India; the petition received nearly 10,000 signatures, and soon, Amazon India responded by taking down hundreds of lethal hunting tools, as well as preserved carcasses of animals from the website. The company also released a statement saying they, “Pledge to support wildlife conservation efforts.”

Amazon India’s actions, and promise to help conservation efforts in the future, is a great example of practicing good ethics in business. Although the company may take a small hit in profit, as now several hundred items are no longer available for purchase, the company acted positively, and “put on a good face” by banning all controversial and cruel hunting supplies and carcasses of animals. Hopefully Amazon India’s actions will encourage other Amazon branches to do the same.